A Different Friend
by Kris Jo
Summary: Alex has been a part of the gang since she and Ponyboy became friends. He likes her because she's different, and because of what she's been through. Here's her story. Rated T for language and violence later. No romance!
1. Prologue: Thinking Back

**Hey, so I've been reliving my love of The Outsiders, which has been my favorite book since I read it in the 7th grade, and I remember thinking about this. I'm not going to go through the entire story with my OC in it, it's just how her and Ponyboy meet and her back story. Just telling you, this isn't going to end up as a romance. I though about it, but I'd like it better if they just stayed friends. Plus, in the book Ponyboy said he wasn't interested in girls yet and I want to keep to that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders.**

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><p>The whole gang sat in our living room. We weren't doing too much, just sitting around. Darry sat in his chair, Steve had pulled a chair from the table over, Two-Bit sat on the floor next to me, and Alex sat on the couch next to Soda.<p>

I glanced up at her. She was sitting with one leg stretched in front of her, occasionally kicking Soda, and the other up on the coffee table. It had to be the most un-lady like way a girl could've sat. She wore her usual white tank top, jeans that were about five sizes too big held up with a black belt, tennis shoes, and her beaten-up leather jacket. She knew that she didn't dress the way other girls did and always caught crap for it at school, and she never cared. She told us that she dressed to be comfortable, not to impress others.

Alex had to have been the toughest girl I had ever met. She could hold her own in a fight; Darry even said she could pack a punch, even though she didn't look that strong. She had real long dark hair, all the way to her waist that she always kept in a thick braid. She told me that she liked to use it for a weapon, and she was right. She had smacked me with it once, and that thing hurt. Her eyes were such a dark blue, they almost looked violet, and she hated them. Said it was too girly of a color, which always made us laugh.

Right now her eyes held their usual hard stare. That stare had gotten her out of a lot of trouble with guys, simply because she could terrify them if she wanted to. But with how well I knew her, I could see right through that mask. She put up that front to protect herself, and it wasn't that hard to understand why.

She looked over at me for a moment. I looked down quickly, hopefully before she noticed I had been looking at her. It wasn't that I liked her like that; Alex could make anyone nervous when she looked at them.

Smiling to myself, I thought back to when we first met. I remembered liking her real fast because she was different from any other girl I had met. It was only after I talked to her did I realize just how different she was.

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><p><strong>Let me say this real quick. I accept criticism and ideas on how to improve the story. But I do not accept insults. This story may not follow what we would think of the characters, but that's why it's called fan fiction. If you do not like my story, then don't read it. If I didn't follow the way of life in the 1960s, then I'm sorry. This is a work of fiction and I don't feel the need to change my story to accomodate that, so I am not giving a history lesson with this. It's just what's in my head.<strong>

**I feel the need to say that because I read some reviews on another story for The Outsiders that were just insulting her and what she had written, saying that it was cliche and didn't follow the characters. It wasn't even that bad, I wanted to know where it would have gone, but she discontinued it because of all the negative remarks.**

**That being said, please be respectful. I'll update when I can, but no guarantees with work and school and me being a procrastinator.**

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	2. Meeting

**Here's the official first chapter to this story. I'd like to thank MiniArtist, nicollerz97, JinLing, and IcyKaky55 for reviewing. From now on I'll try to keep the chapters longer, but it's all subjective. Enjoy!**

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><p>It was about five months ago.<p>

I walked home from school and sat down on the couch, my books dropping next to me. I wanted to go find one of the guys, but I had some homework and I knew Darry would never let me leave until it was done. And even then, I couldn't be sure because it was a school night.

I picked up my books and walked back to the room I shared with Soda. Both Soda and Darry were at work so I was by myself. I sat down at my desk and opened my math book. I had to answer a few problems that were easy, and I hoped Darry wouldn't find anything incorrect.

Fifteen minutes later I closed my book, finished, and walked back out to the living room. I checked the clock and saw that Darry and Soda would be home soon, so it would not be a good idea to try to sneak out. So I sat down on the couch and started reading my book to pass the time.

Suddenly I heard a loud scream and pounding footsteps. I figured it was another fight at the lot, but my curiosity still got the best of me. I stood up and glanced towards the lot, surprised to find it empty. Then I looked at the sidewalk in front of our house and saw someone pacing.

I could tell it was a girl, but she did not look like any girl I had seen before. Most of the girls around here wore skirts and makeup, and their hair was styled a certain way. This girl was dressed in jeans that looked way too big for her, tennis shoes that looked worn out but not as much as mine, a white tank top, and leather jacket that had seen better days. Her hair was a real dark brown that reached down to her waist, but it was pulled back into a thick braid that bounced off her back. She was average height, maybe a couple inches shorter than me.

I watched her as she kept pacing, her braid swinging out every time she turned, until finally she sat down on the concrete and hugged her knees to her chest. It didn't look like she was crying, but the way her shoulders were moving I could tell she was really ticked off about something.

I set my book down on the table and walked to the door. I didn't know why, but I wanted to go talk to her and make sure she was alright.

I made it down the front steps before the screen door banged shut. She jumped up and turned around at the sound. I couldn't stop myself from flinching at the hard look in her eyes. It was almost as bad as Dally's.

Still, I walked towards her until we were about five feet apart. At that distance, I could see that she was pretty good looking, but she still had an average look to her. Her eyes were dark blue, and for a moment I thought they were violet. She stood there staring at me, and I noticed her fists clench at her sides.

"You okay?" I couldn't think of anything else to say. She kept staring at me, like she couldn't believe I just asked her that.

Then she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What do you care if I'm okay?" Her voice had an edge to it, but was surprisingly soft.

I shrugged my shoulders and jammed my hands in my pockets. "Heard you scream earlier and I didn't know if you were hurt or something."

Her expression softened a bit in surprise, but she hardened it again. "Yeah that was me. If you really want to know, I screamed because I hate the hell that is my life," she snapped. "Don't go expecting me to spill my life story to you now. You ain't a therapist."

I smiled a little bit when she said that. I liked her. Sure she was mean, but she was different. I could tell that she was the sort of person that if someone told her what to do, she'd tell them to go to hell.

I pulled my cigarettes out of my pocket and pulled one out. I looked at her. "Want one?" I asked, holding the pack out to her.

She hesitated before taking one and pulling a lighter from her jacket pocket. "Don't usually smoke but right now I need it. Thanks." She took a long drag and blew the smoke into the sky.

"My name's Ponyboy, by the way," I said, sticking my hand out.

She looked from me to my hand a couple of times before shaking it. "I'm Alex. Ponyboy a nickname or something?"

I shook my head. "No, it's my real name." I tried to read her expression, but she stayed blank as she put her cigarette to her lips. "I've never met a girl named Alex. Is it short for something?"

"Yeah, Alexandria but if you dare call me Allie you won't be able to see for a week," she threatened, holding her fist up to my eye.

We stood there for a moment, smoking quietly. I noticed that she made a point to blow most of her smoke in my direction, but I didn't say anything. I kept trying to read something in her face, but she kept that hard look up the whole time.

I heard a low rumbling and turned to see our Ford driving up. I turned back to Alex. "Those are my brothers. Want to meet them?"

She dropped her cigarette butt on the sidewalk. "No," she said bluntly, grinding the butt with her heel when she turned and walked away. I watched her disappear around the corner before I felt Soda's hand on my shoulder.

"Hey Pony, who was that?" He nodded in Alex's direction.

I glanced back at him. "Someone who knows how to be different," I said with a smile.

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><p><strong>Hope you guys liked this chapter. Just to make one little point clear, Alex really isn't like me at all. I took a Mary Sue test for her and the results said that she was a healthy character that was different enough from me. Not yelling at anybody, just wanted to say that.<strong>

**Another thing, please don't try to find ways to say that Alex is a Mary Sue. I'm just telling a story here and I'd like to know what you think of it. Thanks for reading.**

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	3. The Walk to School

**Sorry it took me a little while to upload, but I wasn't as motivated since no one reviewed. Anyways, this chapter gives you a little more of Alex's life and why she's so angry. Sorry it's kind of short or if it seems rushed, I have a bad habit of doing that.**

**I do not own The Outsiders**

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><p>The familiar feeling of someone jumping on the bed woke me up. I groaned sleepily and turned, not wanting Soda to wake me up yet.<p>

"Come on Pony, time to get up." He started to tickle me to get me up. I tried turning again to get away from him, but I forgot how close I was to the edge of the bed. I turned a little too far and fell onto the floor.

I opened my eyes to see Soda leaning over the bed, looking at me with a smile on his face. "You weren't supposed to fall off the bed you know." He reached down to poke my sides.

I shoved his hand away and stood up. "If you hadn't tried to wake me up I wouldn't have fallen."

"Nice try. You've got school so let's get going." Soda jumped off the bed and left our room. I quickly got dressed and went out to the table where Darry had set out breakfast. We ate quickly because we were all running a little late.

I grabbed my books and walked out the door, saying bye to Soda and Darry as I did. I turned and walked down the sidewalk towards the school. Most of the houses along our block looked like they would fall down any minute. Dangling shutters, broken windows, missing shingles, columns that had crumpled and caused the roof section they had supported to sag. I had to admit, even though we had a hard time making ends meet, we were doing pretty well compared to how it could be.

I kept walking until I got to a part of town that looked different. I wasn't at the West Side of town yet, but this was the part of town that the middle class families lived. Except for the fact that the houses were in better condition and the yards were clean, it didn't look much different from our part of town.

It wasn't much longer before I passed a small white house. I stopped because I heard really loud yelling coming from inside. I knew it was a bad idea to listen, but I couldn't help myself. It sounded like an older man did most of the yelling. His voice sent chills up my spine because he sounded worse than Darry when he was hacked off at me.

I felt my eyes widen in surprise when I heard a younger voice yell back and heard that it was a girl. Then the front door opened and Alex came out with her bag over her shoulder and a really pissed off look on her face.

She stomped down her front steps before she looked up and saw me. I thought she would holler at me to go away and mind my own business, but she didn't even look surprised that I was there. The front door flew open again and a tall man with thin brown hair and mean eyes stood in the doorway.

"Alexandria, get back here right now!" he yelled.

I saw a fire light up in her eyes before she faced him. "I'm going to school!" She could yell even louder than him.

He looked at me with such anger in his eyes that I almost cringed away. Then he looked back at Alex. "You come home right after school you hear me?"

"Maybe," she threw over her shoulder. She ignored his shouts, walked up to me and grabbed my arm. "Let's go," she said quietly, dragging me away from the man.

When I heard him go back inside, I turned to her. "Who was that?" I already had an idea, but I wanted to be sure.

She let out a long sigh, the fire in her eyes still burning. "The bastard I have to refer to as my father. I don't call him that though. I call him Jim and it pisses him off something awful," she said, a smirk playing across her lips.

I wanted to ask her another question, but before I could two boys who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen ran up around us. Both had hair the same color as Alex's, but their eyes were a dark brown. They wore clothes that were better quality than what I wore and both had mischievous looks on their faces.

The taller one shoved Alex's shoulder. "You really did it this time Allie."

She drew her fist back and punched his arm so hard he reeled back and grabbed it. "You will die next time you call me that Brian. And what did I do?"

The other one, whose hair was a little longer, spoke next. "You really got Dad pissed off." He glanced over at me real quick. "You better come straight home after school or else you're gonna get it." Neither of them sounded concerned, they both sounded like they were taunting her and they were smiling evilly.

She threw him a look. "I'll come home before my curfew Tyler. He can't say anything against that."

"You know he won't care about that. He told you to come home after school and if you don't he'll be so pissed off he'll make the devil look like an angel," Brian said, getting real close to her and making her stop.

Alex shoved him back, looking even angrier. "Get out of my way assholes. Leave me alone too. Just because your blood don't mean you're family." Grabbing my arm again, she pulled me ahead of them until I couldn't hear them laughing.

She let go of my arm and sighed, covering her eyes with her hand. "Before you ask, those were my asshole brothers."

"Don't get along with your family I take it?"

"Not my whole family, just them. I love my momma. She treats me right. Jim and my brothers are the jackasses. I hate them and I know they hate me. Jim has never told me he loves me, I can't even remember him ever hugging me. But Brian and Tyler can do no wrong in his eyes while I'm the mistake." She sighed and looked at her feet.

I kept quiet, afraid to say anything else. The rest of the walk to school was silent.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want me to update sooner, then you're gonna have to show the review button some love. 3<strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	4. Welcome to the Gang

**Well, even if you guys don't review, I'm still gonna upload chapters. This is one of my few stories that I have the whole thing roughly planned out. **

**I do not own The Outsiders**

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><p>I managed to stay focused in school, though every now and then I caught myself thinking about Alex. She had looked so angry when I saw her this morning; she could've set a field up in flames with her eyes. I didn't think I had ever seen anyone that mad before and it kind of scared me. It didn't seem fair for someone like her to be so angry all the time.<p>

A couple of girls whispering behind me broke my thoughts. "Did you see that new girl?" a tiny blond said.

"Yeah, her clothes were so awful. Who wears that other than guys?" her friend whispered back. "She really needs to get some sense of fashion. Her hair's too long too. She needs to cut off over half of it just to get rid of the dry ends."

"I wouldn't say that to her though. According to her brothers, who are very cute, she has a reputation for beating people if they make her mad. Probably best just to ignore her."

I shook my head as I turned my attention back to my notebook. I was pretty sure Alex wouldn't give a shit about what those girls were saying, but I hated it when people talked bad about my friends. If they knew about even half of the shit that we had gone through, they wouldn't be saying that stuff.

The day ended faster than I expected it to. I walked towards the door and saw Alex down the hallway. I stopped at the door and waited for her. She paused and glanced at me for a second before walking outside with me following her.

"You stalking me now? Surprised I didn't see your nose mashed up against the window." She let out a small laugh, but I already knew that she was joking.

"Wanna hang out? Seems like you want to put off going home." I fell into step beside her.

Alex looked at me. "Think your friends would be alright hanging with a girl who won't wear skirts?"

I almost rolled my eyes, but stopped myself. I thought of Two-Bit and Dally and I understood why she said that. "Don't think it'll be a problem."

She looked over my shoulder and set her jaw. I followed her gaze and saw Brian and Tyler with a group of Socs. That surprised me because Socs were exclusive and I figured they ignored the middle class families. Brian was looking at us, and it looked like there was a dare in his eyes. Tyler saw us and gave us the same look.

I turned back to Alex, who was pulling out a cigarette. She lit it and blew the smoke out her nose. "Either way, they gotta be better company than those two."

We walked down the street until I saw the gang up ahead, close to my house. They were just standing around, talking and smoking. Two-Bit said something and cracked up, the others just giving him weird looks.

Johnny looked up and saw us. He had a strange look, like he didn't know whether to feel happy I was there or scared that I wasn't alone. I gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Guys, this is Alex. Alex this is Johnny, Dally, Two-Bit, Steve, and my brothers Soda and Darry," I said, gesturing to each as I introduced them.

Alex looked at Johnny and I saw something change in her eyes. For the first time, the hard angry look melted away and was replaced with one that I couldn't exactly place. It looked almost like sympathy, or understanding, but I wasn't sure. She gently patted his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

I kept looking at her. She looked so different when she wasn't angry. I wouldn't go as far as to say that she looked beautiful, but it did soften her appearance a bit to where she almost looked approachable. When she looked up I moved my eyes to the ground, but I could feel a smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

But my feeling quickly left when I saw something light up in Two-Bit's face. Oh no, he was gonna say something and she was going to be pissed.

"Where did Pony find you? And why hasn't he introduced us sooner?" Two-Bit said, his signature smile growing even bigger.

Alex took another drag on her cigarette, the hard look returning to her eyes. "Maybe because we met yesterday." She flicked her ashes toward him. "Try anything with me and you won't feel so high and mighty."

Two-Bit smiled again before he looked over at me. "I like her." Looking back at her, he said, "I'm gonna like hanging out with you." He slapped her back in a friendly way and I noticed that she just barely flinched under his touch.

Soda tapped my shoulder. "Is she the girl I saw you talking with yesterday?" I nodded and he smiled. Why was everyone smiling so much? He reached his hand out to her. "Nice to meet you." She shook it, but when Soda pulled his hand back he flexed his fingers a bit.

Then I saw Dally eyeing her. He stepped up to her and stood what I thought was a little too close. She leaned back and glared up at him. "Mind taking a step back?"

"If you give me something in return I might." His hand fell down to her waist.

He really should not have done that.

Alex pulled her fist back and slugged him in the jaw. Dally reeled back in surprise and I saw that same fire burn in his eyes. He spun back and slapped her face. She rubbed her cheek and glared back. In one swift motion, she pulled off her jacket and threw it at me.

Alex and Dally exchanged a few swings, all of us standing back and watching. Finally Dally punched her in the stomach and she fell to the ground, arms curled around her midsection. Dally stood back, smiling triumphantly. I knelt down next to her.

"You alright?"

She didn't say anything. She slowly stood up, spit out some blood, and pulled her jacket from my arms. She gave the rest of the gang a look that was so intense they all took a step back. As she pulled the worn leather over her bare arms, she looked back at me.

"So was that a welcoming gesture or were they telling me to go to hell?" I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could she turned and started to walk off.

I caught up with her. "Alex wait!" She turned around so fast that her braid flew out and smacked me across the face. "Oww!"

"Sorry Pony."

"Don't worry about it. That was just Dally; he's rougher than the rest of us. Plus you sort of started that when you slugged him. The rest of us aren't that bad. You honestly fit right in. I like you and I can tell that the others do too. We'll watch over you."

"I don't need protection Ponyboy. I can take care of myself." She looked like she wanted to beat me up.

I sighed. "That's not what I meant. We all watch out for each other. If one of us gets hurt, we all feel it. It looks like you get along with Johnny, Two-Bit, and Soda. You probably don't think Dally likes you, but he'll respect you for putting up a fight. So what do you say?"

Alex sighed and looked at the sky. I glanced over my shoulder to see all the guys watching us. When I turned back to her she looked content. Then she smiled, letting it light up her face.

I motioned for her to follow me. "Come on." We walked back to the guys.

Dally looked at her as he rubbed his jaw. "Damn, for a girl you sure can pack a punch. Think you almost dislocated my jaw. Good job."

Steve and Darry walked up and shook her hand, telling her that they were impressed with how she could fight. Then she looked back at me and she looked genuinely happy.

I smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder. "Welcome to the gang."

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed it. <strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	5. Momma

**Hey there. I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner but I had a really important exam I had to study for. Then I bashed my toe on a corner and couldn't even focus on anything because it hurt so bad. But I'm back now. This is kind of a filler chapter, but it shows Alex's relationship with her mother and I really want to show that. And I'd like to thank SodapopGirl17 for reviewing.**

**I do not own The Outsiders**

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><p>We all stood there for about twenty minutes, mostly the guys were asking Alex different questions. She mainly gave smart remarks, dodging answers. Dally caught onto that and asked her why, and she said that she didn't want to spill everything to people she had just met. Dally couldn't blame her for that, because he was just as secretive with people he didn't know.<p>

I pulled out my cigarettes and took one. I handed the pack over to Alex, but she held her hand up. "No thanks, I only try to smoke when I'm stressed. Hanging with you guys has actually relaxed me so I don't need one." I smiled a little bit, but managed to hide it by looking for my lighter. She was like Soda in that, so maybe that was another reason why I liked her so much.

I lit my cigarette and looked up to see a small tan car traveling down the road. It pulled over to the curb right next to us. Alex saw it and sighed, a small groan escaping her lips. The driver door opened and a tall woman stepped out. She looked just like Alex, only older and her hair stopped at her shoulders. She looked relieved as she walked around the car and wrapped her arms around Alex's shoulders.

"Alex, I'm so glad I found you." She pulled back, wrinkling her nose and looking at Alex with a look that I thought was disappointment. "Have you been smoking again?" When Alex didn't answer, the woman sighed exasperatedly. "Alex, you know how we feel about you smoking."

Then Alex sighed again. "Yeah, and you should know how Jim makes me feel. He stresses me out so bad that if I didn't smoke then I'd be arrested for beating up a random person." She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Momma, I don't mean to disappoint you, but sometimes I can't help it."

The guys just stood there quietly, as did I. It seemed like none of us knew what to say. Alex looked back over at us, like she was remembering that we were there. "Sorry guys. This is my mother Julie. Momma, these are my new friends," she said, introducing us all.

I instantly recognized the look on Julie's face, she was uncomfortable. I knew she was uncomfortable with her daughter hanging out with us, I just hoped that Alex wouldn't let that affect her.

Julie looked back at Alex and narrowed her eyes when she saw the red mark on Alex's cheek from when Dally slapped her. "Where did you get that?"

"Got into a bit of a fight with Dal over there." Julie's eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. Alex rolled her eyes. "Come on Momma, Brian and Tyler have done worse to me. I know what you're thinking, but these guys are tuff. Nothing you say is gonna change that so don't even try."

Julie looked a little shocked by what Alex said. She looked over at us again and a smile formed on her face after a few moments. "If Alex feels that strongly about you bunch, then you can't be that bad. And she's stubborn so I won't be able to talk her out of being friends with you." She looked over at me. "You're the boy that was waiting outside this morning aren't you?" I nodded and she smiled. "Well, it's nice to know that Alex has made such a good friend in a very short amount of time. But unfortunately I need to take her home now."

Alex's head shot up. "What are you talking about Momma?"

Julie looked at her with sad eyes. "Sweetie, you should've come home when your father told you to. He's furious right now and he told me to come find you and bring you home."

"Momma," Alex whined. "Just let me stay with them. I'll be home before my curfew."

"If you don't come with me you'll just make him even angrier. Please honey, it's best if you just come home right now."

Alex looked like she was going to argue further, but she exhaled sharply and her shoulders dropped, signaling her defeat. She turned to me and said, "See you tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll walk with you again if you want."

She smiled. "I'd like that." Then she turned to the gang. "Hopefully I'll see you all again soon. And maybe next time we can hang out without it turning into a damn fight," she said, throwing Dally a smirk. He shook his head and laughed dryly, causing her to really laugh.

She turned and headed towards the car with her mother. Before she grabbed the handle though, she turned and walked back to me. "Pony, can you still spare a cigarette? I'm gonna need it."

I chuckled a little and pulled out my pack. "Yeah here you go," I said as I pulled one out and gave it to her. I took out my lighter and lit it for her too.

She took a long drag with her eyes closed. Then she opened them and looked at me. "Thanks." Then she turned and got into the car, the cigarette earning a look from Julie, and disappeared down the road.

"You okay there Steve?" I heard Soda say. I looked at them and saw that Steve looked really pissed.

He just sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, avoiding Soda's face. "Gotta feeling we'll be hearing a lot of shit from her about her dad. And I sure as hell don't wanna hear it."

I got mad at Steve then. Alex hadn't said a word about any of her family when she was talking to them. And who was he to complain about someone else complaining about angry dads? I had heard him run his mouth about his dad more than enough times. But I bit my tongue because I knew that yelling at him about it all would only cause him to hate me more and make Soda feel bad.

So I just said a bye to the gang and went inside.

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><p><strong>Just to let you guys know, I do have an idea on how to make some of the gang not like Alex so she won't be so much of a Mary-Sue as you guys say she is. I'll update as soon as I can, but I've also got a lab practical coming up that I need to do well on. Until next time my dears.<strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	6. Why Did You Run?

**Fast update, I know. I had this bouncing around in my head and I had to get it down before I lost it. Also, I would like to thank alley529 for reviewing. Just a weird note, I was watching the Kill Bill movies while writing this. **

**I do not own The Outsiders. **

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><p>Three weeks passed and Alex still hung out with us. I would meet up with her in front of her house in the morning, and we would hang out with the gang for an hour or two after school. Much to Steve's surprise, she never once complained about her dad. He asked her why one day, and her reply had been simple.<p>

"Why should I waste my time talking about someone I hate?"

After that, Steve only showed that she annoyed him because she was my age, so therefore she was a kid who would want to tag along somewhere he didn't want her. But other than him, Alex got along with everyone else in the gang and we were all having a pretty good time.

And then Johnny got jumped.

She'd been walking by the lot at the same time I had with Soda and Steve, and she ran over with us. When she saw him, I saw something in her eyes that I had never seen from her before.

She looked guilty and ashamed. But before I could ask her why, she turned and ran off. I watched her run down the street, her footsteps echoing back to me, until she disappeared

The others saw her run too, and none of them looked happy. But I was mad too. I thought she was our friend, and friends stuck by each other through everything. How could she just run off when Johnny needed her, needed us? How could she turn her back to us like that?

Pushing my anger aside, I turned back to Johnny. Soda had picked him up and leaned him against his shoulder, gently trying to wake him up. Then Johnny stirred a little. "Soda?"

"Yeah, it's me. Don't talk, you're gonna be okay," Soda said.

"Is Alex here?" Johnny asked softly.

Soda looked about as confused as I felt. "Sorry Johnny, she ran off when she saw you."

Johnny's reply only confused me more. "Good."

That really threw me, but it also made me even angrier. Johnny didn't want Alex there for some reason. I really wanted to know that reason, but I also knew that Johnny was in no shape to answer a ton of questions. Still, no matter how hard I tried to focus on Johnny, it kept coming back to the front of my mind. Why didn't he want Alex there? Did she do something? Why did she run? Did she have something to do with him getting jumped?

That last one almost made me sick. _Did _Alex have something to do with what happened to Johnny? I wanted to completely forget that thought, there was no way she would do something like that. I had never seen her have any kind of problem with Johnny; she loved him just like everyone else did. Unfortunately, one part of my mind kept telling me that it was a possibility.

And that part was talking pretty loud.

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><p>A few days later I walked down the sidewalk towards the school. I wanted to stay home again, but Darry said I missed enough school and he made me go. I did, but not only because he told me to. I really wanted to talk to Alex and figure out what the hell had happened with her.<p>

I stopped in front of her house, like I usually did. As usual, I heard yelling behind the door. Only this time, it didn't sound like her dad yelling back at her. The voices sounded younger, and I realized she was yelling at her brothers. I couldn't make out what they were saying because the volume was so high, but she sounded even madder than she usually did. I thought I heard her voice break a few times, like she was close to tears.

"If you guys weren't so freaking stupid, I wouldn't have to walk around with this guilt hanging over me! Next time find somebody else!" she screamed loudly, but clear enough for me to make out. The front door flew open and she stomped out. Even from my distance, I could see her shaking. She looked up at me, but then looked down and walked right past me.

I couldn't believe it. She ran away from Johnny, and now she was trying to ignore me like nothing had happened? I ran after her and caught up easily. "Alex, I gotta talk to you."

"What could there possibly be for us to talk about?" she asked bitterly. Her voice sounded thick, like she was trying to keep herself from crying.

"How about you running off when Johnny got jumped? How could you do that? He needed us." She turned her face further away from me and didn't say anything. She picked up her pace slightly and walked ahead of me. Now I was pissed. She wasn't gonna walk away and pretend that nothing happened.

I grabbed Alex's arm and pulled her back. She tried to pull her arm out of my grasp. "Ponyboy let go of me," she said softly. She still wasn't looking at me. "Let go."

"You're not walking away from this. Why did you say that to your brothers before you left? What the hell is going on?" My voice rose, and soon I was almost yelling at her. Then she faced me, and my anger cooled a little.

She looked so worn out, like she was carrying a huge weight and couldn't take it. Her skin was paler than normal and there were dark bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her braid was messy, like she'd slept in it and hadn't bothered to fix it. It looked like every breath took all the energy she had and her body barely had time to make more for the next breath.

She sighed. "Pony, I know I don't have the right to ask you any favors, but I'm gonna anyway. Please, don't ask me why I ran. Don't ask me why I said that to Brian and Tyler. Don't ask me why I look like shit right now. Don't ask me if I'm alright. Don't ask me what the hell is going on." She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath before continuing. "Because if you do, I'll break down and tell you the answers. And then you'll hate me. I'd rather you hate me because I didn't tell you than have you hate me for what really happened. Now please let go of my arm."

My grip relaxed and she pulled her arm away. She gave me one more look before turning and walking off. I waited a little while before I started walking too. I didn't want to walk in the same time as her. I was still mad because she didn't tell me, but I was also mad because she thought she knew how I would react.

Alex had only known me for a few weeks, how could she know how I would take whatever she would tell me? The way that I saw it, unless she did have something to do with Johnny, I wouldn't hate her. I just wanted to know what happened.

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><p>After school I walked out the door without waiting for her. Trying to push through the crowd, I saw her out of the corner of my eye. She was standing off to the side, obviously waiting for the crowd to thin, with a cigarette hanging from her lips. She didn't see me as I watched her take the cigarette out of her mouth. I saw her fingers shaking as she did and she glanced around nervously. I walked away before she saw me.<p>

I met up with Two-Bit, Dally, and Steve just before Alex's house. All three had a dangerous look in their eyes and I had an idea of what they wanted to do.

Two-Bit turned to me as I walked up. "Did you see Alex today?" I nodded and looked at the ground. "You ask her why she ran?" I nodded again. "And?"

I looked back up at them, feeling a grimace form on my face. "She won't tell me why she ran, but she did tell me not to ask her again. She'd rather us hate her for not telling than hate her for the truth." They were fuming now and I honestly thought they were gonna explode like you see in cartoons.

Dally looked off at the street and somehow managed to look even madder. I followed his gaze and saw Alex walking down the middle of the street, making a wide arc around us. She was clearly trying to get to her house without having to go through us.

Apparently Dally wasn't gonna let that happen. Without warning, he marched over to her and grabbed her arm. "What the hell Dally?" I heard her yell. He dragged her back over to the sidewalk and threw her towards us. He stepped up and Steve stepped to the side so we made a circle, trapping her in the middle.

Alex got her balance back and looked around at us. Suddenly the sad, guilty look that she had been wearing all day was replaced with rage. I almost took a step back when she looked at me.

Turning back to Dally and Steve, she growled, "Get the hell out of my way."

"Not a chance," Steve shot back.

"Why'd you run?" Two-Bit asked.

Alex whirled around to face him. The composure her rage gave her was already starting to crack. "Don't ask me that."

"Why did Johnny say it was good that you weren't there when we found him?" Dally spat at her.

"How could you just take off like that?"

"Why do you look so guilty right now?"

The three of them hurled questions at her, but I stayed quiet. I almost told them it wouldn't do any good, but I knew they wouldn't listen to me. Alex kept turning in a circle, looking at all of us. Her face kept crumbling with every turn and I saw tears welling up in her eyes. I couldn't help but feel bad for her then. I didn't think her to be the crying type, so seeing her break was shocking.

Her hands flew to her head and she gripped her hair, eyes squeezing shut. She started shaking real bad and I heard her breathing pick up to a rate that I was sure wasn't healthy. I saw her muscles tense up so much her tendons could've been seen a mile away.

Then, Alex threw her head back and screamed at the sky. A long, shrill sound and made my blood feel icy. She brought her head back down and looked completely defeated, and that scared me. I knew how strong she was, so I never thought that I would see her look like this.

"It was my brothers, okay?" she screamed at us.

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><p><strong>Okay, this was a real intense chapter for me to write. It may not seem like it, but it was. I was shaking when I finished. I didn't write out Johnny getting beaten up because S.E. Hinton already did that and I didn't think it would be right. Sorry if this seems a little rushed, but it seemed too short to stop it after she told Ponyboy not to ask her that.<strong>

**I won't be surprised if you know what her brothers did. I'm not good at being subtle.**

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	7. We Can't Be Friends

**I really should be studying for my lab practical, but I had to get this chapter out. I don't like this one very much, but it is necessary. And I'd like to thank alley529 and Jinling95 for reviewing.**

**I do not own The Outsiders**

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><p>My blood felt like it had all flowed to my feet. My heart kept beating, but it felt like only air was passing through my veins. Alex's eyes were wide and tears were sliding down her cheeks. I looked at her hands and noticed she was shaking. What had her brothers done?<p>

"What do you mean it was your brothers?" Two-Bit asked, seeming to know that we all were thinking it.

Alex sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Before you found Johnny, Brian and Tyler came home with weird looks on their faces. They cornered me and said that you guys would be pissed. I asked them why and they just smiled and said, 'Let's just say that not all of them are as tough as they think they are.' That got me scared so I went out looking for you guys. I thought they had done something to Pony since I'm so close to him, but I saw him leave the DX with Steve and Soda so I knew they were fine. But, then I saw you run over to the other side of the lot and I knew it was Johnny before we even reached him. I'm lucky I didn't get sick when I saw him, not from how he looked but from the enormous amount of guilt that fell on me. My brothers and their dumbass Soc friends jumped him. That's why I've been trying to stay away from you."

I almost felt tears falling from my own eyes. Brian and Tyler had beaten up Johnny. That was why she looked so terrible. I could almost see the guilt eating away at her. I wanted to tell her that she had no reason to feel guilty since she hadn't touched Johnny, that I was sure he'd still trust her.

But Dally and Steve apparently didn't feel the same way.

Dally stepped up close to Alex, making her lean her head back so she could see him. I felt scared for her because I knew that look Dally had meant that he was beyond pissed. Her lip quivered a bit and I noticed that she started shaking harder.

"You little bitch. I should've known you'd bring trouble." He grabbed her upper arms and threw her onto the sidewalk. Steve stepped up alongside Dally and they both looked down at her threateningly.

The way that Alex was staring up at them surprised me. She didn't look scared, she looked ready. "Go ahead, I deserve whatever you do. But whatever you do to me is nothing compared to what I do to myself. I feel terrible for all of this. I wish I could go back and stop them. So go ahead, do what you want."

Once the words left her mouth, Dally slammed his fist into the left side of her jaw. She rolled to the side from the blow, but turned back. Steve stomped his foot into her stomach, making her wheeze as the breath was knocked out of her.

"Guys wait; I don't think this is a good idea," I said quietly.

"Yeah, it's not like she was the one that jumped Johnny," Two-Bit added.

Dally grabbed Alex's braid, pulled her up, and threw her back on the hard concrete. Then he glared at us. "She deserves all of this. Her brothers did this, her family. She probably told them that Johnny would be the easiest to jump." Then he punched her in the eye.

Dally and Steve took turns landing punches on Alex. I stood back, too scared to do anything. I noticed that every time Alex got hit, she didn't make a sound or try to get away. She just sat there and dealt with what they gave her.

Two-Bit shocked me when he stepped in, grabbing Dally's fist in the air. "That's enough Dal. She's had enough."

Dallas glared at him for a moment before shaking his arm free. He looked down at Alex, curled up in a ball, and scoffed. "I don't think so, but whatever. I'm outta here." He turned and walked off, and Steve walked off in the other direction.

I knelt next to Alex and carefully took her shoulder, feeling her tremors under my hand. "Are you alright?" She pushed herself off the ground and looked at me, her hair falling away from her face. Her left eye was black and starting to swell up. The lower side of her jaw was bruised too and her lip was cut open, a small line of blood dripping down her chin. She lifted a shaky arm and pulled up her tank top, revealing dark bruises coloring her stomach.

She shook a few more times before throwing her arms around my neck and bawling. I hugged her back, being careful not to hold her too tightly. Two-Bit sat down next to us and rubbed her back. I figured Two-Bit wouldn't hold a grudge against her; he wasn't really one to harbor something like that. But I had a feeling that Dally and Steve wouldn't let it go that easily.

Soon Alex calmed down and sat back, wiping her eyes. I stood up and took her hands, helping her to her feet. She swayed a bit and I caught her. "Whoa, easy. Let me help you get home." Without waiting for her answer, I took one of her arms and brought it over my shoulders, supporting her weight. Two-Bit took her other side so we were almost carrying her between us. She didn't say anything, just shuffled her feet along.

When we got to her place we did have to carry her up the steps. I rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened and I saw Julie standing there. When she saw Alex, the color drained from her face and she looked horrified.

"Alex! What happened to you?" She rushed forward and took Alex's face in her hands. Alex looked at her mother and opened her mouth to say something, but just ended up sobbing again. Julie carefully slid her arm under Alex's and started to lead her inside.

Suddenly Jim appeared in the doorway, looking madder than Dally had. He saw Alex, and then turned to me and Two-Bit. "What the hell did you do to her?" he hollered. I shook and took a step back. Alex looked like she wanted to say something, but Julie quickly took her inside. "I'm waiting for an answer!"

Two-Bit stepped up, clearly angry. "We didn't do shit. Your beloved sons beat up our friend, who is also her friend. Some of the other guys didn't really like that, but her brothers started it."

"Don't you dare try to blame my sons! They have done nothing wrong. She obviously fell in with the wrong people. She can blame no one but herself. As for you, I never want to see you or your so called friends near her again. Clearly you bring out the worst in her," Jim spat at us. Then he went inside and slammed the door in our faces.

The next day I didn't wait for Alex at her house, I didn't want Jim to see me. I tried to find her at school, but I couldn't. But at the end of the day I saw her before she walked outside. I ran over to her. "Hey Alex, how you feeling?" I saw that her bruises looked darker, but the cut on her lip had scabbed over.

She turned to look at me but didn't say anything. She glanced around before grabbing my arm and dragging me over to the janitor's closet. She opened the door and threw me in, closing the door behind her. The closet was dim, but light enough that I could see her.

Alex turned to me and sighed, rubbing her eyes with her hand. "Ponyboy, I need to you listen to me. I can't be seen with you anymore. Jim practically kicked my ass last night when you guys took me back home. He said that what happened was my fault and I needed to be punished. Anyway, he told Brian and Tyler to keep an eye on me and make sure I didn't hang out with you or the gang. If they see me with you, Lord knows what Jim will do to me or to you guys. I'm sorry Pony, but I don't think we can be friends anymore."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She always seemed like she didn't care about what her dad said, why would she listen to him this time?

"Alex, come on. We could hang out between classes. Your brothers won't be able to find us that way."

She sighed again. "Pony, that won't work. Even if Brian and Tyler don't see us, one of their friends will. I'm not saying this to protect myself; I'm doing it to protect you guys. It's just safer if you all stay away from me. I don't like it, but that's how it's got to be. I need to go now; if they don't see me go home then it'll be hell to pay. I'm sorry Ponyboy." With that, Alex turned and left.

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><p><strong>Hope you like this chapter more than I do. I don't like the idea of parents splitting up a friendship, but that's gotta happen for the rest of the story. So if I don't work on Tuesday, I'll stay up on Monday night writing the next chapter in celebration of the lab pratical being over.<strong>

**Ciao bellisima,**

**Kris**


	8. What Happened?

**Lab practical finished, more coolant in my car, and I don't work tomorrow! Yay! Five days in a row of cleaning rooms took a toll on my body. Anyway, here's another chapter like I promised. Thanks to alley529 or reviewing.**

**I do not own The Outsiders.**

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><p>A month.<p>

An entire month went by since I last talked to Alex in the janitor's closet. She managed to cut off all contact with us except for passing each other in the hall. Every now and then I would catch her eye, but she would look away real fast and walk away before I could say anything. I think I saw more of her brothers than I did her.

Even though we didn't talk, I saw a difference in her. She always kept her jacket on, even when it was hot out. She would glance around with a nervous look in her eyes all the time and then she would pull on her sleeves or hem of her shirt. I noticed that she always looked tired, and once I even saw her sleeping at a lunch table. She didn't look like the Alex I knew, she looked like she was fading away.

Of course the guys noticed. I told Darry and Soda about her brothers beating Johnny up, and while Darry had been mad at first both he and Soda understood her situation. How couldn't they, we had all been judged in some way by what the other two had done. Johnny healed up, but whenever one of us mentioned Alex's name his eyes would go wide and he looked scared. He knew that it wasn't Alex's fault, but I had a feeling that it would be hard for him to be around her for a while. Dally and Steve were still mad at her, no matter what any of us said to them. They were convinced that since it was her brothers that had done it, she did too.

But no matter how much she ignored me or whatever the guys said, I was still worried about her.

One night I was sitting at home with Darry and Soda. It wasn't a school night, but it was raining really hard so I stayed home. I sat on the couch reading my book, well trying to read my book. Soda was watching TV and he kept trying to get me to pay attention to whatever was on. Darry was reading the paper in his chair. The rain hit the windows hard and the sound echoed through the house. Then there was a boom of thunder so loud that all three of us jumped.

A knock on the door made us jump again, and we laughed at that. I put my book down and pushed myself off the couch to get the door since I was closest. I opened the door and felt my eyes widen in shock by who I saw.

Alex stood on our porch. She was completely soaked, small bits of her hair plastered to her face and water dripped off her chin. She was carrying a small bag in her hand and she had to keep fixing her grip on it because it kept slipping. The look she had in her eyes almost made me cry. She looked even worse than when she confessed what her brothers had done, because she looked desperate. Her eyes were wide as she looked at me and even though her face was wet from the rain, I could see that she was crying herself.

"Alex! What are you doing here? You're soaking wet, get in here," I said quickly, pushing the screen door open and gently pulling her in. Darry and Soda were on their feet in a second as I led her to the couch. Soda wrapped his arm around her as she tried to hold back her sobs and Darry left to grab a towel, draping it over her shoulders.

I sat next to her and watched as fresh tears slid down her white cheeks. "Alex what happened? I thought you weren't allowed to talk to me anymore."

She hurriedly wiped at her eyes, but she couldn't stop the tears. "I don't care about that right now. I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Things have gotten a hell of a lot worse at home and I had to get out." She started to break, hiding her face in her hands. Soda rubbed her back gently.

Darry carefully sat on the coffee table in front of her and patted her knee. "Do you wanna tell us what's been going on?"

Keeping her hands over her face, she said, "I thought that since I was staying away from you guys that Jim would leave me alone. But Brian and Tyler kept lying and telling him that I was hanging with you. I tried to tell him they were lying, but he never listens to me. God, sometimes it was all I took to ignore the pain enough to fall asleep." Then she pulled off her jacket and all three of us gasped.

Alex's arms were covered with bruises, cuts, scars, and small burns that had to be from cigarettes. I ran my thumb over a long white scar on the inside of her forearm, trying to imagine how a man could do something like this to his own daughter. Alex broke then, turning to me and burying her face in my shoulder. I hugged her back, worried by how much she was shaking.

"Tonight was the worst. Jim and Momma got into a huge fight and he blamed me for it. Momma tried to stop him, but he just pushed her away. Then he picked me up and literally threw me into my room. I hit my desk and rolled on the floor, landing on the heater. He shut the door and I heard him lock it. It was too much, so I packed some of my things and climbed out the window. I understand if you guys don't want me staying here after what Brian and Tyler did, but I just had to get out of there."

I felt terrible. I felt like Alex getting beaten was my fault. I noticed that something was off about her, I should've done something. Even if she had been avoiding me, she was still my friend to me.

I looked up at Darry. "Darry, can she stay for a while?"

He sighed. "Ponyboy, she needs to go back home. She belongs there."

Alex gasped and grabbed his hand. "Darry please don't send me back there. Send me somewhere I can stay or out on the streets, anything but back there," she pleaded with huge eyes.

"Come on Darry," Soda said. "She shouldn't have to go back to getting hit for something she didn't do."

"I know Soda, but I can barely afford to keep all of us fed. I don't think we have enough for another mouth."

"I've got some money here Darry," Alex said, digging through her jeans pocket to pull out a small wad of bills. "Jim gave me grocery money a while ago and didn't realize he gave me way too much and I walk my neighbor's dog sometimes. I've got about twenty-five dollars here, I know it's not much but it's all I've got."

Darry looked like he was thinking really hard about what to do. I knew he wanted to help her because he hated people who hit their kids, but I also knew our money was tight. I just hoped the helpful part of his brain would win.

He exhaled slowly and a smile started forming on his face. "Okay you can stay here for a while, but you'll need to help us out with the chores around here. You'll have to sleep on the couch too."

"I'm fine with that. Thanks Darry. I'll help out wherever I can and I'll try not to get in your way," Alex blurted, visibly happy she didn't have to go back to her house. She flew forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, surprising him. He chuckled and patted her back. I smiled, glad that we were able to help Alex when she needed it.

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><p><strong>I'm still hungry. Gonna go eat the rest of my Oreos now. (random life update)<strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	9. Don't Let Him Take Me

**So sorry about the wait. I've been working a lot and I've had school, along with dealing every other thing life decides to throw my way. So here's the next chapter! I'd like to thank alley529 for reviewing. I'd also like to thank those of you who have favorited this story or added it to your story alerts. It really means a lot to me.**

**I do not own The Outsiders**

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><p>"How 'bout you go take a quick shower to warm up? You're shaking like a leaf," Soda said, pulling the towel off Alex's shoulders.<p>

She nodded. "That sounds real nice right now. Freezing out there with the rain and all." She grabbed her bag and Soda led her to the bathroom, returning after a moment. He sat back down next to me, but didn't turn to the TV. We were all quiet, none of us knowing what to say. I wanted to start bawling for Alex, but I just took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I figured she had it bad, but I never thought it could get that bad," Darry whispered. I glanced over at him and he rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I mean, what man does that to his own kid?"

"Kind that don't deserve to have any," Soda said. "Let me tell ya nothing would make me happier than going over there and wringing that guy's neck."

"Easy little buddy, you know that ain't a good idea."

"Make me feel better." Soda looked over at me. "You okay Pony?"

I rubbed my palms on my legs as my thoughts raced. I still felt unbelievably guilty that I didn't do anything to help her when I saw she was acting weird. Part of me agreed with Soda, to gather the rest of the gang and do something to Jim, but luckily the rational part of my mind spoke louder. I knew that the best thing for me to do was look out for her while she was here and just be there for her.

I looked back at Soda. "Yeah I'm okay, just thinking about everything."

Darry cast a wary glance my way. "Let me make one thing clear. If I catch the two of you doing something you ought not to be doing, I'll beat the tar outta you Pony. Understood?"

I sighed, annoyed. "Got it Darry, even though I don't like her that way. We're just friends, so relax." His expression didn't change.

A shuffling from the hall caught my attention. Alex stood at the entrance to the living room. Her hair was undone and wet, hanging straight around her face all the way to her waist. She wore a huge football jersey that went to her knees and when she took a step I saw she was wearing shorts underneath. She gave us a small smile. "First time ya'll have seen me without my braid huh?"

"Uh-huh," I mumbled. She looked real different with her hair like that. It was like she turned a few years younger and she looked a lot less tired.

She walked over and sat on the floor, leaning against the couch. Soda moved over and picked her up, making her squirm. "Soda, why the hell did you do that?"

"This." He set her down right next to me, and I felt my ears turn red the same time her cheeks did.

I glared back at Soda. He just smiled innocently and pretended to be engrossed in whatever was now on TV. I looked back at Alex and shrugged my shoulders. She did the same and leaned against me. I could feel that, even though she had just taken a shower, she still felt cold. I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over her. She smiled and pulled it around her, bringing her knees up to her chest and relaxing.

After a while I yawned, feeling extra tired for some reason. Then I heard Darry and Soda yawn too, and so did Alex.

"Think we should get to bed," Darry announced, standing out of his chair. He went to the hall closet and grabbed an extra pillow, tossing it to Alex. "There you go."

"Thanks Darry," she replied softly, arranging the pillow and blanket on the couch to form a makeshift bed.

She faced all of us, almost looking nervous. "Thank you guys, for everything. It really means a lot to me."

Soda stepped up and hugged her. "No problem Alex. Sleep well."

Then Darry gave her a short hug and good night. I stepped up and hugged her close. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything to help," I whispered to her.

She pulled back, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I noticed you were acting strange at school, even though we weren't talking. I should've said something, or done something, to help you. I'm sorry I didn't."

She punched my arm lightly. "Ponyboy stop it. I never let on what Jim was doing. You shouldn't feel guilty because you had no way of knowing. You didn't do anything."

I smiled. "I could say the same to you about Johnny and your brothers." Her face paled a little and she looked at her hands. I patted her shoulder. "Good night Alex."

"Night Pony," she whispered. I walked past her and waited at the hallway for her to get on the couch before I turned the light off.

As I got into bed, my mind wouldn't stop racing. I didn't even know exactly what was keeping me up, but something had me worried.

"Alright Pony?" Soda whispered tiredly, pushing himself up on his elbow to look at me.

I sighed. "Do you think we could've done something sooner to help her?"

"Ponyboy she never said anything to any of us. Even if she was acting different, there's no way we could've known for sure."

I rubbed my eyes, finally feeling sleep coming to me. "Think she'll be okay?"

This time Soda laughed. "Alex is a real strong girl. May take some time, but I think she'll be just fine. Now go to sleep, I got work tomorrow." He lay back down on his pillow, falling asleep quickly. I stared at the ceiling for a while before I fell asleep too.

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><p>The next morning I was the first one up. I quickly got dressed and went out to the kitchen. When I saw a blanket covered mound on the couch I was surprised for a second, but then I remembered that it was Alex. Moving quietly, I crept over and lifted the blanket off her face. She was still sleeping so I carefully put the blanket back so I wouldn't wake her and went into the kitchen to start making breakfast.<p>

I hadn't even gotten a pan out before I heard the front door swing open and slam against the wall. "ALEXANDRIA!" rang through the house and I thought my heart stopped. I ran into the living room and saw Alex sitting up on the couch, looking terrified out of her mind.

Jim stood in the doorway, red-faced and shaking with anger.

His eyes fell on her and she tried to get up and run away, but he was faster. He reached out and grabbed her arm, making her cry out in pain. He started to pull her towards the door, ignoring her shouts as she tried to pull free. "You are coming home this instant young lady. You are in so much trouble!" Jim hollered at her.

"Alex!" I called out to her. I raced forward and wrapped my arms around her, trying to pull her away. At this point I was running on pure adrenaline. Jim looked back at me and took a swing at me, which I ducked.

"Let her go. This is your fault! You should've stayed away from her like I told you to!"

Suddenly Darry and Soda appeared, grabbing Alex's arm and pushing Jim back. Alex started crying hysterically, probably close to having a panic attack. She wrapped her free arm around me in a vice grip, still desperately trying to free her other arm.

"You let go of her!" Darry shouted in Jim's face. Jim glared at him and pulled on Alex's arm again and she screamed in pain, burying her face into my shoulder.

"Don't let him take me. Don't let him take me. Don't let him take me," I heard her say over and over again. I kept a firm grip on her. I was going to do something now. I wouldn't let Jim get her this time. I was going to protect her.

After another couple of rough tugs, Darry managed to pry Jim's fingers apart enough to get Alex's arm out of his grasp. He pushed her back towards me and she held onto me even tighter than before, burying her eyes into my shirt and soon I felt a damp spot growing.

Jim jabbed his finger at Darry. "You have no right keeping her here. She is coming home with me right now." Alex started shaking violently from his dark tone.

"She's not going anywhere with you," Darry yelled back. "What kind of father treats his own daughter like you do? You don't deserve to have her."

"I don't know what kind of lies she's been telling you, but how I discipline my children is none of your business. Whatever she receives, she deserves."

"You don't discipline your children," Soda shouted. I had never heard him be so angry before. "You abuse your daughter. I bet you don't do anything to your sons when they're the ones who deserve it. Alex didn't do anything!"

"YOU LEAVE MY SONS OUT OF THIS!" Jim shouted louder than ever, making Alex jump and scream. "They have done nothing to deserve punishment, while she continuously disobeys me. I told her specifically to stay away from you hoodlums, and she disobeyed me every day. She deserved her punishment."

I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stay quiet anymore. "She didn't talk to us at all! Last night was the first time I've talked to her in a month because of you!"

Jim turned his dark glare on me and even though it terrified me, I returned the hard stare and tightened my grip on Alex. "You are all liars. Now hand her over and I'll take her home because she needs to be punished again."

He made a move towards us, but Darry and Soda shoved him back. Darry's voice took on a threatening tone. "I have the right to order you off our property. You are trespassing, so get the hell out of my house."

"I'm not leaving without Alexandria."

"Oh yes you are," Darry roared. He grabbed Jim's arm and forcefully pulled him out the door, throwing him off the porch steps. "You come here again I will call the police on your ass. Get out of here!" I thought Jim was gonna try to get back in, but he just turned and stalked down the sidewalk.

My heart rate started coming down from the fast pace it had been at. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Darry and Soda faced us, looking triumphant. But when they looked at Alex, they paled.

Then she collapsed against me and fell to the floor.

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><p><strong>Finally the main chapter of the story. You have no idea how badly I wanted to write this chapter. Notice, I can't give you a number but there's only going to be a few more chapters of this. Maybe two, three, four...I can't give you a definite number. But just letting you know.<strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	10. Won't Go Back

**So I could tell you that I haven't updated in a while because I had work and school and family, but it'd be a lie. I just forgot when I updated last and then I got a small writer's block while writing this. And I'm a horrible procrastinator. Having said that, I hope you can forgive me. A big thank you goes to alley529, divine energy, and Chick1966 for reviewing.**

**Also, have any of you ever tried a cream cheese frosted brownie? Let me tell you, epic deliciousness!**

**I do not own The Outsiders**

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><p>I staggered back, trying to hold Alex in my arms. "Whoa Alex, what's wrong?" Her legs didn't seem to want to work and I ended up kneeling on the floor with her, holding her close.<p>

She gripped the front of my shirt in a tight grip and bawled into my shoulder. She sobbed real loud and her body started shaking badly. Then she started wailing, the sound of it breaking my heart. I had never heard a person cry that hard before and it sounded like she was being torn apart. I tried to hold her closer to stop her trembling, but it just made it worse to where I thought she might have given herself a seizure. She struggled to take a breath, but she barely let herself get any air before another sob broke out of her. Her usual toughness vanished and she was completely vulnerable.

Darry and Soda knelt next to us. Darry rested his hand on her shoulder and Soda wrapped his arms around both of us. I rested my cheek against her hair, but I caught a glimpse of her arm. A big red handprint spanned across her pale skin and I saw part of it already turning purple. My heart leapt up into my throat and I managed to swallow the lump in my throat before any tears came. I couldn't cry right now. Not when Alex needed me to lean on.

It took a while, but finally I heard Alex's cries start to die down. She kept a firm grip on my shirt but her head fell to my chest. I rubbed her back soothingly as she took a shaky breath.

Then her hand went to her eyes to dry them. "I'm so sorry you guys," she gasped.

"Don't be," I said gently. "None of this is your fault."

"B-but if I h-hadn't left, then Jim w-w-wouldn't have come over. I-I can't…I just…" Her shuddery breaths cut her off, not letting her form a complete sentence. I held her closer.

Soda lightly rubbed the mark on her arm. "I don't know about you guys," he started, talking to me and Darry. "but I am not letting her go back there." Turning to Alex, he said, "You are staying here, no matter what else Jim does. It's not safe for you and I can't stand the idea of you getting hurt again."

Darry nodded. "I'm with Soda on that. You're a hell of a lot safer here and we will protect you."

She looked up at Darry and Soda for a moment before turning to me. Her dark blue eyes were so wide and so fearful that she looked like a little girl asking her parents to scare away the monsters under the bed. She was trembling just a bit now, but I could still feel it. I tightened my grip on her a little, hoping that she could see the determination in my eyes. She rested her head back on my shoulder and relaxed, her trembling finally stopping.

Right then the door flew open and Two-Bit walked in, smiling so crazy I figured he was already drunk. Even though it was nine in the morning. "Hey, how's it going?" Then he saw Alex and his eyes widened. "What happened?"

As Darry recalled everything to Two-Bit, I felt Alex's hands reach up to cover her ears. If I was lying to myself, I would've said that I liked to see this vulnerable side of her. But I didn't believe myself at all. I wanted the tough Alex back. Not that I didn't like her being emotional, I just hated to see anyone so broken and upset. I wanted to see her as the girl who I had talked to that day we met. I wanted to see that girl who was either tough enough or crazy enough to pick a fight with Dally. I could only hope that that girl would come back and that Jim hadn't destroyed her.

I kept my hold on her and helped her stand up, her hair falling over my arms. Two-Bit looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. He carefully pulled her out of my grasp and closed his arms around her, lifting her off the ground.

She squealed. "Two-Bit, put me down."

He smiled and turned, swinging her around and making her squeal even more. But between the high-pitched sounds Alex was making, I swore I heard some laughter. "Not until you start smiling and stop being mopey." He reached around and grabbed her legs, and somehow managed to swing her so that she was over his shoulder. Her hair trailed on the floor behind Two-Bit as he ran around the living room. I couldn't help but let some laughter slip and Darry and Soda were clearing trying to hold theirs in.

Soon we were all laughing our heads off, including Alex. Two-Bit still had her slung over his shoulder and was trying to dodge her legs since she had started kicking.

"Okay Two-Bit, I'm smiling and laughing and having a good time. Can I get back on the ground now?" she managed to gasp out through her giggles. Two-Bit sighed and set her down, catching her when she swayed a bit.

Once she got her bearings, she punched him in the arm. "Don't do that ever again." He just smiled and rubbed his arm. Then she turned and grabbed her bag. "I'm gonna go get dressed. I catch any of you trying to sneak a peek, you will be sorry." She walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

"Why do I get the feeling that was meant for me?" Two-Bit wondered aloud. Soda laughed and slapped his back.

"Probably because it was."

A quiet knock came from the door, so quiet that I almost didn't hear it. Darry walked over and opened it, revealing a red-eyed Julie.

"Hello boys," she said softly, not making any move to open the screen door and enter. "I know that Alex is here. May I speak to her?"

I was about to speak up when I heard Alex behind me. "Momma?" She ran past me, fully clothed with her hair braided again, and pushed open the screen door, into her mother's arms. "I'm sorry Momma, but I couldn't stay any longer."

Darry closed the door to give them some privacy. Soda, I guessed in order to break the uneasy silence, clapped his hands together and said, "Why don't we all eat?" Darry rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen with Two-Bit following, probably looking for a beer. I sat at the table and waited, occasionally letting my gaze flicker to the window where I could barely see Alex and Julie.

Darry brought out breakfast and we ate, Two-Bit keeping the air light with his usual jokes. Soda and I washed the dishes together. Alex and Julie were still talking.

Finally the door opened and Alex stepped back in. She didn't look sad or upset, she looked satisfied. She looked at up to find all our eyes on her. "Momma wanted me to come back home. I told her that I wouldn't if Jim was still there. She kept begging me, but I just told her I couldn't. I would only come back if he was gone. She didn't say anything else, she just left."

I stood up and slowly walked over to her. She looked at me and there was something strange in her eyes. Satisfaction, guilt, confusion, I wasn't quite sure. I placed my hand on her shoulder. "You did good Alex."

She nodded, and satisfaction became the visible emotion in her eyes. She let a big smile crawl across her face and she really looked happy.

Then Two-Bit appeared next to us. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to go find some booze. Didn't have enough this morning."

We all laughed and walked outside.

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><p><strong>Not my best chapter, but I'm terrible at ending stories. Yep, there's only two more chapters left of this. I haven't written them yet, but I will soon. I'm sure all I plan on putting in the next chapter could be divided into two, but one would end up being really short so I'm combining them into one.<strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	11. He's Gone

**Okay, longest chapter here. Just because there's a lot happening in this one. I know that it probably seems rushed, but if I split it up between two chapters then they would be real short. I'm kinda sad right now, because there's only one more chapter left of this story, but I still had a great time writing it. Again, I am thanking alley529 for reviewing. You keep saying I don't have to, but your reviews kept me motivated.**

**I do not own The Outsiders.**

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><p>Alex lived with us for a week, and it wasn't that different from just the three of us. She made sure to keep all her things in her bag so we were never tripping over a pair of jeans. She did her own laundry instead of throwing her stuff in with ours, but she only did them once because it took her a while to get that much dirty laundry. We discovered that she didn't eat as much as we did so Darry only had to make a little bit extra than usual for her. She took her showers at night so that she wouldn't be interfering with everything we did in the morning and her shampoo and soap were never in the bathroom, always in her bag. Alex would help out with all the chores when she could, even helping Darry make dinner and helping Soda and I do that dishes in the same night. We would only get surprised when we saw her sleeping on the couch every morning because we kept thinking it was one of the guys. In the morning we would walk to school, and she tensed up less and less every time we passed her house. Her brothers surprisingly only bothered us the first day, after that they left us alone.<p>

The gang welcomed her back, well almost. Two-Bit never had a problem with her, so he just acted the way he normally did. When Steve heard about what Jim did, he warmed up to Alex a bit more. He was still annoyed and didn't trust her as much anymore, but he didn't hate her any more than he did me. Dally still didn't like her and they usually got into some sort of argument when we all met up, but he never said anything about Jim. Whether that was because he didn't think it was fair or because he felt sorry for her, I never knew.

Johnny welcomed her back almost as well as Two-Bit, and that was what Alex wanted more than anything. She was afraid that Johnny would hate her as much as Dally did, because he was the one her brothers jumped. She thought she would never be able to rebuild trust with him. But he surprised all of us when he said that he understood how bad she felt and he knew that she wasn't to blame for what her brothers did. He also sympathized with her because he knew what she went through with Jim, even though what his dad did was much worse he still felt bad for her.

She liked that a lot, but she did notice that Johnny would tense up just a bit when she came around. The first time she saw that, she sighed and whispered to me, "I don't think that'll ever go away."

On Friday, Alex and I were walking back from school, both happy that we didn't have any homework for the weekend. We rounded the corner and walked up the steps, Alex's shoe catching on the last one. I laughed a little and she threw a glare at me.

"Shut up Pony, I've seen you trip on that step more than five times." She sounded annoyed, but she was smiling too. I opened the door and stopped dead in my tracks, making Alex bump into me. "You gonna move or do I have to help?" Then she looked over my shoulder and I noticed her eyes widen.

Darry sat in his chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Soda was sitting on the couch in the same position, head turned to the person sitting next to him with a look on his face that was caught between sympathy and happiness.

Julie turned when she heard her daughter's voice.

I somehow moved out of the way in time before Alex rushed in. Julie stood up just in time to catch her. I closed the door and stood by Darry. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "What's going on?"

Darry looked up, a smile growing on his face. "Julie has something she wants to tell Alex."

Alex let go and looked back at us, then at her mom. "What do you want to tell me?"

Julie smiled brightly. "Sit down honey." Alex sat down on the couch next to Soda and Julie sat next to her, taking her hands. "Alex, he's gone."

Alex just stared at Julie, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I told him that you wouldn't come back unless he left, he was furious to say the least. He said that he refused to be run out of his own house by an ungrateful daughter and a mother who couldn't control her." Julie paused for a moment, her head hanging in shame.

"Momma, what did he call you?" Alex asked, reading Julie's mind.

Julie sniffed and quickly wiped away the tears that hadn't the chance to spill over. "It's not worth repeating, honey. And I will shed no more tears over that man. He's a bastard. Anyway, two days ago, he got a promotion at his job, a real big one. He looked me right in the eye and told me that he was leaving because he stopped loving me years ago, when I gave birth to you and couldn't give him another 'perfect son' in his words. He packed all of his things, which didn't amount to much, and left with Brian and Tyler. I got a call this morning from a divorce lawyer. He's gone Alex, and so are your brothers," Julie said with a smile.

Alex was speechless. Her eyes were huge and her mouth was hanging open in disbelief, and she was frozen. She was silent as she took it all in. I had to take it in too. It was great for her, she didn't have to worry about Jim hurting her anymore and her jackass brothers wouldn't bug her either. I felt nothing but absolute joy for Alex, and I could only hope that was what she felt too. I couldn't really tell for a few minutes. When she finally did move, she merely turned her head and looked at the floor. Her mouth barely moved and her voice was so tiny when she spoke again.

"He's really gone?"

Julie smiled again and nodded. "Yes sweetheart, he's really gone. And I am so sorry that I didn't do anything sooner. I realized too late that I should have and…" She never finished her sentence because Alex threw her arms around her mother's neck and started laughing. Julie hugged her back and laughed too. I felt myself smile at the scene. Darry stood up next to me, also smiling, and gave me a small slap on the back.

Alex pulled away from her mother and kept laughing. Soda laughed along with her, pulling her up so he could give her a big hug. He swung her around a bit, making her laugh harder. When he put her down she ran over and jumped on Darry, barely making him stumble, giving him a hug too. He let out a chuckle as he set her down. Then she tackled me with a hug, squeezing so tight I had a hard time taking a decent breath. Even so, I still hugged her back just as tightly, truly happy for her. I mean, even if Darry hollered at me all the time, it was nothing compared to getting hit and thrown around and I was glad that she was free of that.

Alex stepped back and looked at the three of us. "Thank you guys so much for everything." Then her face fell slightly and she turned back to Julie. "Wait Momma, are you gonna be able to make payments on your own? Will we have to move? Do I have to get a job?"

Julie laughed again and took her daughter's shoulders. "Calm down Alex. I never told you this, but it's really just been me making payments since we moved here. Jim used his money to take care of that ridiculous car of his and to buy things for the boys. He didn't contribute at all to the house or food. I think we'll be just fine." Alex gave her mother a big smile and hugged her again.

"Can I come home Momma?" I heard Alex whisper. I shook my head at her, thankful she couldn't see me do it.

"You don't have to ask sweetheart. Nothing would make me happier than to have my baby girl back." Alex stepped back and grabbed her bag from the end of the couch where it had been sitting the whole time. She walked back over to us to give us all one final hug.

As she stepped out of mine, she gave me a big smile and her eyes were sparkling. "Guess things are starting to look up."

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><p>I wish she had been right. Because after she moved back in with her mother, everything happened.<p>

Alex had been with us in the park that night. She had been sitting on the fountain with her back to the Socs, doing her best to ignore them. To say I was surprised when I saw her brothers with Bob and Randy would have been an understatement. I had been about to tell her when Brian spoke up, saying that we had picked up our own slut. Alex had bitten the end off of her cigarette when she heard that and slowly turned around, earning shocked looks on her brothers' faces. Clearly they hadn't known that it was her.

But not even being their sister stopped them from jumping us. Then Johnny killed Bob.

Alex had gone up to Windrixville with us, torn apart that she had to leave Julie behind. But she knew she couldn't pull her mother into all of this. It had a hard week for all three of us and she kept up a touch exterior, but one night I woke up and I could hear her crying, whispering her mother's name every now and then. She was so happy when we got back; I knew we felt the same about seeing our family again, even if the situation was bittersweet.

It seemed like Alex took Johnny's and Dally's deaths pretty hard. I knew why she took Johnny's death so hard. Up in Windrixville she had finally regained Johnny's complete trust. He stopped being jumpy around her and he actually apologized for it all. She had looked so relieved and now I knew how hurt she was. It wasn't fair at all that she finally didn't make Johnny nervous anymore, only to have him get taken away so soon afterwards. I couldn't figure out why she took Dally's death so hard, because he still hated her the same when he died. I tried to ask her a few times, but she closed up and didn't say a thing.

Just like all that changed me, it changed her too. She still acted tough like she used to, but if I looked real closely at her eyes I could see those ghosts swimming around behind the hardness. She spent a lot of time around us now; hang out with us as long as she could after school and on Saturdays. She never left the house on Sundays, only stating that she needed that day to be with Julie. She didn't get into that many fights anymore, just with her brothers when they still bothered her at school.

Oh her brothers are another thing. They got charged with underage drinking, but the fine wasn't that big and Jim paid it. Alex thought that Jim would finally see that Brian and Tyler weren't perfect, but according to them he still blamed her for what happened. She told us that she didn't care if he did or not because she hated him too, but I could see that it just enraged her.

Oh, how I wish she had been right when she said that things were looking up.

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><p><strong>I didn't go into detail on the last part, because I'm safely assuming you all have read the book and I'd rather not rewrite it. Only one more chapter now. T_T. Oh well, everything must come to an end. I'll probably have the last one up in like, an hour or two or early tomorrow because it's not gonna be that long and I'm on a roll so it won't take me too long to write it. <strong>

**Ciao,**

**Kris**


	12. Epilogue: Unclear, but Alright

**Fastest I've ever updated, anything. I feel sad about ending this, but happy that I could write it. I also feel good about myself because this is my first multi-chapter so I like that I could finish it. You all should feel honored because I rarely let anyone read what I write, so this was a big thing for me. Don't have anyone to thank for reviewing because I literally put up the last chapter an hour ago. I write fast. I hope you all enjoyed this story and thank you for giving it a chance.**

**I do not own The Outsiders.**

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><p>I shook my head a bit and came back to reality. Everyone was still sitting in the same spots, looking the same. We were all quiet, only the sounds of our breathing breaking the silence. Usually I didn't have a problem with sitting around doing nothing and I didn't before, but now that I thought of everything I couldn't just sit. I didn't know why, but I had to get up and do something. I pushed myself up off the floor, noticing that everyone looked at me, and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. I wasn't thirsty, just using it as an excuse in case Darry or Soda asked me what I was doing.<p>

I didn't know I had been followed until the person spoke up. "You were thinking about all of it weren't you?" I jumped in surprise, some of the water spilling over the edge of the glass, and turned around. Of course, it was Alex. She must've left her jacket on the couch. Even though they had faded and turned almost invisible, I could still see the scars littering her arms as clearly as if they were fresh. She hitched her thumbs in her pockets and shifted her weight, waiting for my answer.

I looked at the water in the glass and nodded. "Yeah I was. Not sure why, it all just came back to me."

Alex walked over to the counter and sat on it, her heels quietly knocking against the cabinet. She looked at me and let her mask down, so I figured she was thinking about it all too. She could never keep her tough look up when she thought about everything.

After a moment, she sighed and let her shoulders sag. "We sure have been through a lot huh Ponyboy?"

I chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, that's one hell of an understatement."

She smiled dryly. "Ain't it?" She kept her eyes on her hands that rested in her lap. From the angle I was looking at her, I could see a ton of emotions run over her face but one stood out and stayed there for a long time.

Fear.

I knew what she was scared of. She was scared of what might happen her because she was friends with me and Johnny. I was already catching shit at school about it and some of it was going to her since she'd been there too. I'd only been jumped once from it and she hadn't yet. But I saw that whenever we walked around town she would occasionally glance nervously over her shoulder, looking for her brothers or some of their friends. There was another thing that she was scared of.

I walked over to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. "You know, I've always got your back. I don't care if Brian and Tyler or their friends do anything to me. It won't change anything."

Alex looked up at me and tried to smile. "You know, I really do know that you mean what you're telling me. But there's always gonna be that little part of my mind that taunts me, telling me that one day you guys are gonna be fed up with something that I caused and you'll just leave. I don't think it'll ever go away, but I think I'm starting to ignore it."

The look in her eyes was different from anything I had seen from her. She didn't look like the tough girl I had met five months ago, but she didn't look like the broken girl that had knocked on our door on a rainy night. She was somewhere in between: strong, but allowing some vulnerability through. That made her look beautiful, and I remembered what I was scared of. I wasn't scared of getting jumped by the Socs, those I could handle. I was scared of _her_ leaving.

"I'm scared about the same thing," I said softly. Alex looked real confused so I explained, "There's a little part of my mind that thinks you're gonna leave. I keep thinking that you won't want to be seen around greasers or you'll meet a guy and forget about us. I mean, I know that you can do whatever you want, but I'm afraid you're gonna leave and then you'll change. You won't be the same girl anymore." I looked at the floor, trying to hide my red face.

Before I knew what was happening, Alex wrapped her arms around my neck. I placed my arms on her back and held her as close as I could. If she was in my arms, she couldn't go anywhere and couldn't change. She would stay just as she was, tough but weak in some areas that didn't care who she was seen with. I didn't want that to change.

As if she could read my mind, she said, "Ponyboy, I ain't going anywhere anytime soon. I can't guarantee that I'll always be here, but I will be for at least four years. I ain't gonna change either. I don't plan on wearing skirts or makeup or going shopping with girls. Just saying those things makes me sick. I like you guys and I don't care that you're greasers. I consider myself a greaser and I'm actually proud of it. I'm staying right here with you all for a long time and I'll stay the same. And I'll have your back like you've got mine. That, I can promise."

I sighed with relief. Just hearing her say that made me feel so much better. She wasn't going anywhere and she wasn't going to change. At least, not now. I knew that later in life she probably would change. Stop acting tough all the time and getting into fights. Start dressing like a lady and acting like one. Getting married and raising a family of her own, sharing these memories with her children, laughing as she told them that she really did miss these days and those rough kids she was friends with.

But for now, she was still with us.

"Hey, you two making out in there or something? If you are can I watch?" Two-Bit shouted into the kitchen.

Alex laughed as she pulled back out of the hug. I laughed too as I poured the water into the sink, not having drank a drop of it. "No we are not making out Two-Bit, and no you can never watch me make out with someone," she shouted back at him. His laugh echoed back to us.

Alex pushed herself off the counter and looked at me. I walked over to her and we just looked at each other for a moment before we walked back into the living room. What lay ahead for us was unclear, but for now, we had each other.

And we were alright with that.

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><p><strong>There it is. I hope you all enjoyed this story. Just to let you know, you probably won't see me write in this fandom again. I love The Outsiders, but this is the only story I have to tell dealing with it. I plan on writing some for Big Time Rush, so if you like them go over and find me. Thank you all for sticking with me and for just giving this story a chance. Never thought I'd even get that.<strong>

**Ciao mio ama, (goodbye my loves)**

**Kris**


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